Bow Arts has announced the 12 shortlisted artists for the second iteration of the East London Art Prize, established in 2023 with the aim of celebrating and promoting the diverse art and talent of East London.
The shortlisted artists, chosen from over 870 submissions by artists and collectives living or working within the ‘E’ postcode, were selected by panelists Jonny Tanna (Founder, Harlesden High Street), Louise Benson (Director of Digital, ArtReview), Phoebe Collings-James (artist), and Sam Wilkinson (Head of Public Art, UCL Culture).
The shortlisted artists are: Darcey Fleming, dmstfctn, Eugene Macki, Fatima Ali, Gusty Ferro, Joseph Ijoyemi, Kuda Mushangi, Laisul Hoque, Liang-Jung Chen, Lydia Newman, Mo Langmuir, and Yang Zou.
Sophie Hill, Director of Arts & Events at Bow Arts, said:
The stories told and the themes explored across the shortlist truly represent the excitement, energy and diversity of art being made in east London – a snapshot of why this area of London is so important to the development of contemporary art today. The shortlist draws on the true power of different media to evocatively tell a story – from Laisul Hoque’s food display summoning memories of her father, to Joseph Ijoyemi’s metallic origami using the same Alumbro metal that was used on the Cutty Sark.
Represented in the shortlist are themes including migration, African diasporic perspectives, microhistories, mental health, social justice, dynamics of public space, hyperlocality, and the deployment of political narratives through cultural production. This diverse thematic selection is mirrored in an equally varied range of media, with submitted works spanning painting, sculpture, film, installation, and performance.
The shortlisted artists will present their artworks at a shortlist exhibition in late January 2025, where the winner of the East London Art Prize will be announced on opening night. The Prize winner will be awarded £15,000 and a solo exhibition at the Nunnery Gallery, to be developed with Bow Arts’ Director of Arts & Events, Sophie Hill, and taking place in early 2026.
The runner-up will receive a year’s free studio space at one of Bow Arts’ studio sites. Mentoring and career development opportunities are also provided for the entire Prize shortlist during the year following the shortlist exhibition, including opportunities to get involved in the East London Art Prize events programme.
The winner of the inaugural East London Art Prize (2023-24) was filmmaker Kat Anderson, whose exhibition Mark of Cane was on show at Nunnery Gallery from 9th February until 21st April 2024. The second prize went to multidisciplinary artist Cora Sehgal-Cuthbert.
Jonny Tanna, Founder of Harlesden High Street, said:
The East London Art Prize is about giving access and platforming to people from East London; newer artists, older artists, in a wide variety… It was good to give a platform to people who are what some might call outsider artists, too, who haven’t had a formal art school education or training
Bow Arts is firmly rooted in the fabric of east London’s cultural landscape, providing affordable studio spaces to local artists for the past 30 years. The East London Art Prize is sponsored by Minerva and Prue MacLeod, and supported by a network of local supporting partners, including The British Council, Dulux, The Line, London College of Fashion, London Legacy Development Corporation, UCL East, V&A East and Whitechapel Gallery
bowarts.org/nunnery-gallery/east-london-art-prize
